Chinese Company Executive and Six Others Arrested Over Laundering ¥200 Million from SNS Investment Scam
This article organizes publicly available information into a single account. Where it describes an arrest or an ongoing investigation, that reflects only one stage of criminal procedure and does not mean guilt has been established (the presumption of innocence applies). We will update this article as new information becomes available, including the outcome of prosecution, non-prosecution, or trial. This article is not intended to unfairly disparage any individual, group, nationality, ethnicity, or belief, and aims to provide objective, fact-based information.
The Metropolitan Police Department's Organized Crime Proceeds Division announced by July 2, 2026 that it had arrested seven people, including Lin Jun (44, transliteration), a Chinese national and company executive residing in Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of violating the Act on Punishment of Organized Crimes (concealment of criminal proceeds). They are suspected of concealing approximately $194,000 (about 28 million yen) that a fraud victim living in the United States had transferred to a corporate account in Japan in September 2023, moving it to another corporate account, and withdrawing it under the guise of a legitimate transaction.
The seven are believed to be members of a group responsible for laundering proceeds from SNS-based investment scams; the multiple accounts they managed received a total of about 200 million yen over a six-month period, all believed to be scam proceeds wired from the United States. Lin is believed to have been the ringleader, and when banks questioned him about the source of the deposits, he reportedly explained them as "payment received from exporting precision equipment."
Current status: As of this writing, it is not yet known whether the suspects will be referred for prosecution or indicted. Fully tracing the flow of funds through the accounts the seven managed will be the focus going forward. This article will be updated as further details become available.
Other reported money-laundering cases involving Chinese nationals include an Indonesian couple accused of running an unlicensed "underground bank" (related coverage) and three Chinese nationals accused of laundering phone-scam proceeds through an underground bank (related coverage). Cases linking phone scams and investment fraud with money laundering are being uncovered in various parts of the country.